Ashen
In order for Roebuck to reclaim her worth, she created Ashen, where she has centered herself within this piece surrounded by a bed of flowers. This piece is comprised of ornate flowers in the shape of a triangle broken off with ornate curtains that resemble an interior setting. Ashen depicts the lingering past of not feeling whole within Roebuck’s skin complexion and the continuous search of wholeness as a biracial person. There are several flowers seen throughout this piece, but the use of Dahlia’s symbolizes a specific meaning throughout Ashen. While there are various meanings that are associated with Dahlia’s, this piece is specifically referencing the inner strength it takes to overcome the shame of not knowing how to care for your own skin. The Black Dahlia flower which symbolizes sadness and correlates to the woman who yelled at Roebuck at a young age. The various colors of Dahlias, such as orange, pink, black (dark burgundy) tells a story of sadness and self-assurance. This piece is an altar, creating a space of healing.
The Lingering Sound of Your Voice
Imprinted on the eight-yr-old
Like a Leaf Cast Within a Rock
Never to be Escaped
Always Haunting
Always Shouting
Ashy
Ashy
Ashy
Ashy
The Frightened Child
Recoiled
Within Her Rock
Left to Harden
And Fear
That the Biracial Child
Wasn’t Enough
Fellow Feeling
Fellow Feeling depicts the bond of two siblings and the acts of an older sister taking care of her younger brother’s hair. Through experiences and passed down knowledge, the love for natural hair for the brother has always been there. However, through several traumatic experiences and the glaring eyes of society that wasn’t always the case for the older sister. Through trial and error, the love and appreciation of natural hair become present for both siblings. Transpiring a bond of care and love between siblings.
Deserving II
Better Than Blood
This piece is specifically about Roebuck’s mother and her relationship and how she has always taken care of her hair. More specifically, how Roebuck’s mother taught her to take care of her hair. Through being adopted by a white family there have been a lot of trial and error in terms of how Roebuck or someone else has cared for her hair. Some incidents include Roebuck picking out half of her hair when she was about eight years old, catching her hair on fire, wanting/getting bangs, cutting her hair incorrectly, and salons burning her curls. This piece is not only depicting how Roebuck’s mother has cared for her hair, but it is also depicting a story of how she came to be adopted. Within the background of the piece there is a hidden text from a poem Roebuck’s mother wrote to her on her 18th birthday, describing the joy of adopting Roebuck.
Not Blood, But Blood
This piece is depicting Roebuck and her adoptive brother, touching on how people look at them and often assume that they are twins based solely on their facial appearances. This piece is not only depicting prejudices placed upon each of them, but also depicting a relationship between a brother and sister. The tulips depicted throughout the entire piece, specifically symbolizes the bond between siblings whether of blood or not.
Pillow Talk
This piece is questing how a voice determines someone’s ethnicity. Pillow Talk is a new piece by Roebuck, that takes phrases from 3 poems that she wrote and her DNA results and have been embroidered onto a stack of pillows. Through this piece Roebuck is exploring how a voice cannot determine someone’s whiteness or blackness. More specifically, this piece is encouraging the viewer to see all for who they are, that we are uniquely made, and urges others to step away from judging each other based solely on the sound of how voice.
Your Voice Sounds White
Your Voice Sounds White is inspired by the Olympia painting by Edovard Manet through the lens of linguistic bias. More specifically, this piece is referencing a specific incident that occurred between Roebuck and a friend. One where the friend questioned Roebuck's voice in terms of sounding too white or concluding that the sound of her voice was due to being raised by a white family. Through these assumptions, Roebuck has seated her figure on a couch taking subtle cues from Olympia: blunt gaze and daring its audience. Roebuck has specifically taken this reference to question, "how does a voice determine someone's ethnicity?" This line of questioning and prejudices made of Roebuck is continued throughout the piece, hidden and obscured. The three pillows situated behind the figure specifically say, "What does being black sound like?" You are all white," and "Your voice sounds white." The assumptions and prejudices made of Roebuck are continued on the legs of the figure saying, " Your voice sounds white."
Country Upbringing I and II
Country Upbringing I and II features two wood cutouts of a little boy holding two fish and a little girl leaning against a fence and hay bail. These two pieces were created to piece together the past, a time were my brother, and I were deserving. More specially, these two pieces focus on depicting the joy of two children being unaware of their racial differences and fully enjoying their childhood.
Rise
Rise is calling to human beings to acknowledge the excluded and ignored and bringing to light how we are living in a pronounced racially injustice society. The bent over figure is urging its audience to listen in hopes to end our unjust society. While the floral elements in the background depict mountain laurel leaves to symbolize perseverance. This piece is challenging its viewer to persevere past the prejudice to create a society that isn’t built on white supremacy and one that ends unjust killings of people of color.
Untitled 1980
Untitled 1980 depicts Roebuck’s mother in her engagement photo from the year 1980. Roebuck reflects on this life changing moment of her mother’s because it precipitated the marriage and family Roebuck was adopted into.
Not all of Roebuck’s family members celebrated the idea of her being adopted, but with this piece, Roebuck highlights her mother’s longing for another child, the longing that came to life when Roebuck was adopted.
The use of multiple media and materials allows Roebuck to stitch the reinforcing love of her mother through her past traumas of exclusion, providing a healing place for her today.
This piece reinforces the bond between them—not of blood, but of love. It is inspired by a poem entitled By Love that Roebuck’s mother wrote for her on her 18th birthday. It describes her mother’s joy in adopting Roebuck and why her family wanted her.
The first stanza reads:
I begged for a baby,
“Please God, any baby…I’ll take any baby.”
He didn’t give me just any baby…
He gave me you—
Not by my body or blood,
But by love.
The Crossroads
The Crossroads depicts a child leaning against a fence post, staring off into the distance. This piece is referencing a moment in time when a child grows up and confronted with the fear’s society places on us. The child starring off into the distance symbolizes the pivotal moment one must make to change course and fine their place within an often-unforgiven world.
Farm Girl
Little Boy
I Am
The figure is surrounded by calathea plants that symbolize turning over a new leaf/a new beginning. This piece depicts the triumph of overcoming prejudices and the acceptance of oneself. I Am was inspired by Basquiat’s work, specifically how confrontational and how he is demanding a response from its viewer’s. More specifically I Am is demanding that the viewer not be so quick to judge another person, but to acknowledge all and where they come from.
Confessional Series
Chickabee
